Grounds care/yard maintenance and other outdoor tasks associated with grooming and maintaining property are commonly performed using various tools and/or machines that are configured for the performance of corresponding specific tasks. Certain tasks, like snow removal, are typically performed by snow removal equipment such as snow blowers or snow throwers. The snow removal equipment may, in some cases, be walk-behind models. However, snow blower or snow thrower attachments can sometimes be added to lawn tractors or other riding yard maintenance vehicles as well.
Walk behind snow blowers or snow throwers may be single stage or dual stage snow removal devices. A single stage snow thrower may include a high speed auger blade that is rotated at the front of the snow thrower. The rotation of the auger blade may intake snow and impart momentum on the snow to eject the snow through a chute all in one stage of operation. A dual stage snow blower may add an additional stage by having the auger blade (e.g., the first stage) feed snow into an impeller (e.g., the second stage) that imparts momentum on the snow to eject the snow through a chute. In such an example, the first stage auger may operate at lower speeds since the impeller will provide a momentum boost for snow ejection.
Although the momentum imparted by the auger is meant to direct snow into the path for ejection via the chute, some of the snow that is initially forced rearward to be directed out the ejection chute may escape the intended ejection path and be ejected back toward the operator. This phenomenon may be referred to as blowback. The existence of blowback, although not harmful, may cause operators to be less satisfied with the performance of the snow removal device. To reduce the incidence of blowback, a scraper bar and housing are typically provided to inhibit snow from passing underneath the snow removal device and back toward the operator. However, operations over uneven surfaces, and even the small tolerances between the scraper bar and the ground, may allow some snow to be ejected back toward the operator in the form of blowback. The occurrence of the blowback can thus provide a negative impact on the operator experience.